Sterilising equipment when breastfeeding?

[DuelingFanjo]

Hi there

I intend to express with a breast pump - what are the basic things I need to get RE sterilising?

You can get a Tommee Tippee starter set which I think comes with manual pump, steriliser and bottle. The bottle is pretty good for avoiding nipple confusion.

It is best just to bf for the first weeks though if you can so you could certainly leave it till the baby is born.

Or you can go with the liberation of not sterilising, just washing very well. There are loads of threads on here with great links to the reasons, but it is not really necessary to sterilise if you wash in really hot water and air dry (or use a hot dishwasher wash). Many countries don't do anywhere near the obsessive sterilising that we do. Also once out of the steriliser things are no longer sterile anyway.

The only things I ever sterilise is new stuff out of the packet, or things that have been stored for a long time.

I have a Tommee Tippee manual pump and I've tried to use it once and gave up, my hand was killing me! If you;re going to express regularly get an elevtric one (Medela swing or Avent are good).
I love my Tommee Tippee steam steriliser. It's really large and fits bottles / pump etc pretty easily. Check out larger Asda's as I got a really good deal on mine from there.

Agree with above poster re: BF for first few weeks if everything goes well BUT if you do have difficulty and need to feed expressed milk then get advice on how to feed with a cup / tube rather than a bottle so it doesn't make the situation worse.

I was "advised" by a midwife not to express for a couple of weeks even though I had in hospital as DS wouldn't feed, as I might get mastitis. I think this was rubbish! Get into a routine with expressing but if all is comfortable and fine just freeze this stuff and feed your baby from the boob until BF, so your supply, is properly established.

thank you. I did have another question about what was best, a manual pump or an electric one.

I want to breastfeed but also have the option of pumping later.

Lionstar interesting you shold say that because my limited research has suggested people don't need to sterilise like mad. I'm asking because my workmate (had her only baby 22 years ago) was telling me I would need to buy a steriliser for the breast pump and I realised I am clueless when it comes to all this stuff but that she might be being a bit old-fashioned?

presumably I will have to clean or sterilise bottles I use for the expressed milk?

sorry for all the embarrassingly foolish questions I am a total newbie at this baby lark

In countries that don't sterilise, they usually have higher rates of babies getting gastroenteritis, which can be fatal (it's a major cause of infant death in developing countries). Okay, sterilisation doesn't solve the issue (leaving milk around before using it is far worse afaik) but I wouldn't risk it - I'd sterilise until 6 months at least.

A lot of the major bottle suppliers do kits with a steriliser, bottles and a cleaning brush. I'm just going to get one of those when/if I start expressing.

fab - will see what I can get. I have heard the closer to nature ones are ok? As in for bottles, though I am interested in the using a cup thing.

If you have a dishwasher, use that, the suff will be near as dammit sterile and better than a good hot handwash.
Your breasts are not sterile and indeed the baby needs to be exposed to your normal skin/breast bacteria as this is what colonises the babies skin/bowel etc.

We are too obsessed with sterilising, but good general hygine and cleaning is important. Once the baby can move it's self/put anything in it's mouth, it's pointless to sterilise (but you still need to CLEAN things properly of course!)

While JAPHRIMEL is right about gastroenteritis being a major cause of infant death in the 3rd world, but the real issue there is usually using dirty water to make formula milk combined with a lack of access to medical care - sadly many of these babies die for the lack of a few pence worth of rehydration salts. We are fortunate in this country that we don't have these issuse to deal with.

Ah - no dishwasher in my house unless you count my DH

And I assume DH/dishwasher is not sterile, DUELINGFANJO!!!!!

I used two methods of sterilising my medela swing with DD1 - Milton solution in a bucket (the old-fashioned way) and does leave things a bit bleachy-smelling. I also had these bag things that went in the microwave and steamed the relevant parts. That was good - very quick. I think Lindam and Medela both make them.

Bacteria are slower to grow in breastmilk (compared to formula) properly refrigerated, but I would still sterilise all the bits once a day till six months, not every time you use it if multiple times per day - just stick some cling film over the 'horn' part and bung in fridge, hey presto.

I just used to put my pump and the bottle that I expressed into in the dishwasher, then transferred the milk to a lansinoh milk storage bag. They're re-sealable and you can top them up and then froze them when there was a full feed in them.

As far as pumps go, I had an avent hand pump which I loved but I tried a tommee tippee one and I was quite badly bruised after one use! Not sure if it's just down to nipple shape or they probably wouldn't sell many! I was too scared of an electric pump, didn't like the idea of the pump being in control of the speed and strength of pumping but I have heard they are very good.

I tried pumping when DS was about 6 weeks as I had very sore nipples and was told it was less painful then feeding (which I didn't find it was) and I got very little out. Started again when he was 12 weeks and got loads, very comfortable and left him with my mum or DH occasionally and then went back to work when DS was 6 months and I expressed twice a day at work to make up one 9oz feed that he had with the childminder and fed him in the morning with breakfast and then before bed.

R.E. breastpumps

An electric pump is the way to go, IMP. The hand one made my hand go into cramps, and just took too long.

My electric of (can't remember the brand, it was years ago) had variable speeds so you could control it and ensure it was comfortable.

I'll be out shopping for a new one soon, they seem to be more expensive than when I last bought one, but worth the money I think.

I used a manual breast pump. Boiling items in a pot sterilised fine without extra expense and having to find storage for extra bits of equipment.

You do not need to sterilise. Just wash in a hot soapy water. If you really want to, just boil the pots and pump parts for a few minutes.

I spoke to my mum nad she said that it was really important to sterilise in the first six months but her youngest child is 38 so I wonder what methods were used back in the very early 70s. Pretty sure no one eould have had those modern sterilisers then?

thanks for all the advice, and the advice on the breast pump

I am in the same situation, planning on breast feeding. I saw a set in argos tomme tippee and it has everyting you need for breast or bottle feeding pump and steriliser included so i might get it

DuelingFanjo - They wouldn't have had the electric easy-peasy sterilisers 40 years ago, but they did have the cold water ones I think (the ones you add sterilising tablets too) - or boiled everything. IMO sterilisation is important for the 1st 6 months. Anyway, I'd hate for my baby to get gastroenteritis knowing I didn't sterilise anything.

For sterilising I know there's alot of different opinions on the matter, my MIL said she didn't sterilise any of her DS's stuff (30 odd years ago) but here it's advised you sterilise everything till six months, then everything concerned with milk (so bottles, teats. pumps). This is supposed to be because bacteria in milk multiplies rapidly so you need to make sure this stuff is scrupulously clean.

I just thought well, if there's a chance it will stop any tummy bugs it's worth doing. Don't really understand my friends though who still sterilise their older babys cups, spoons, bowls etc. My child now chews shoes on a regular basis.......!

DEFINITELY and electric pump. They are pricey but very very worth it if you want to express more than only very occasionally (and TBH I found hand expressing easier than a manual pump!)

Well, in France the official advice is that you don't need to sterilise, unless your baby was born premature.
I bf and the only few times I used pump or bottle, I boiled them for the first time after buying them and then just scrubbed it well with separate brush in hot soapy water.
DD (17 mo now) never had any tummy issues.

From a scientific point of view as soon as you open the steriliser the bottles are no longer sterile. As I think someone else pointed out it's when you leave the milk for long periods of time in the warm that most problems occur.

As bacteria multiply very quickly especially in an environment like milk which is warm and full of nutrition, the idea is that you reduce, as much as possible, the numbers of bacteria that you are starting with. But if you are going to use the milk quickly, or freeze it and use it as soon as it's defrosted you are reducing the chances of there being enough bacteria to cause a tummy bug. Plus if your baby is breast fed it will have you anitbodies so will be better equipped than a formula fed baby to cope with any infection.

I would definately say it is better to be as clean as is possible but in a home environment it is impossible for anything to be sterile when it reaches your baby, you are just being as careful as you can.

Sterilising when I was a baby consisted of the cold water baths with milton in them, not ideal as you are introducing chemicals to your baby even if you rinse well and again, you are introducing fresh bacteria when you rinse.

You can get sterilisers second hand for not a lot so if you feel better about it it needn't cost the earth.

Winnybella- interesting advice for France considering in UK NICU (Neonatal intensive care) where my DD spent first 5days of life- they didn't sterilise for any of the babies there and they recommended hot soapy water, rinse well and air dry. My DD wasnt prem but advice was same for prem babies. I figured if they do that for most vulnerable babies then is fine for all babies.

We never sterilised anything, ever - dd had ebf from a bottle from 3 weeks onwards for a couple of feeds a day and it was all fine. Hot soapy water and air-dry!

i got an elec pump but in the end I found manual alot less faff, my friend used it and said the same, this was the avent kit bloody rip off !!!! but it worked

God, I can't believe anyone could use a manual pump more than about once a month without getting severe RSI. Maybe I am not very sturdy, but I would say that if you are planning on expressing more than once in a blue moon, get a decent electric one.